Lue was gone. I would never see her again. Kanesha thought I was crazy, but at least she thought I was a good kind of crazy. We sat on a bench by the reflecting pool, a week before Halloween. It was getting cool out, by DC standards. I thought it was quite pleasant, personally. A bit of a breeze was kicking up.
“I still…”
“I know. I’m nuts. It worked, but it could have got me killed. And then Thea would be mad.” My lips quirked.
“Just…you know. Don’t get cocky. You’re the good kind of crazy, but I don’t want to bury you.”
I looked out at the pool. “I’ll try and stay the good kind. It’s…well…not always that easy.”
“No, it isn’t. How tempted were you to kill them?”
“I was thinking gelding, actually.” I felt my lips quirk again. “Very tempted. I might have if I had thought I could get away with it.”
Knowing I couldn’t…
I continued, watching the clouds float through the water. “The cops want to recruit me now. I guess they figure anyone who’s as much of a trouble magnet as I am…”
“You could do worse.”
“Can’t afford college and without college I don’t think they’ll take me.”
“Actually, they will. Especially if you do the internship. But I think…you’d be a target in too many ways. I’d stick to modeling.”
I grinned at her. “Like that doesn’t make me conspicuous.”
“Yes, but in a way that will make most people assume that you’re weak, stupid and excessively feminine. On the other hand, the cops have, you know, perks.”
“Cops can get away with stuff. Especially in PG County.”
She laughed. “I can’t believe you made a PG County joke. Haven’t they behaved lately? I mean, since they shot the mayor’s dogs, I haven’t heard much.”
“They painted an ambulance pink,” I noted. “Admittedly that’s not quite on par with shooting the mayor’s dogs, but…”
“Still. They’ve been quiet lately. I don’t know that I’d want to live there, but…” Kanesha tailed off.
“What are you going to do after college, anyway?” I’d never asked her.
“Teach. Help other kids get out of the bad situations.”
I hesitated, then reached out and hugged her. “You’ll be fantastic.”